Thanksgiving break means family time and lots of turkey, but it also means big sales in stores on Black Friday. Students and staff at Jamesville-DeWitt High School are excited to participate in this national “holiday” that begins on Friday, Nov. 25 at midnight and goes until Sunday, Nov. 27. Freshman Paige Keeler also added that shoppers are happy and excited for sales and the lower prices. The most common place to shop is Destiny USA, according to freshman Sawyer Parker and other J-DHS students who participate.

The amazing deals that stores offer draw in a lot of customers, which causes all of the chaos. Freshman Luke Hobika described the atmosphere in his previous Black Friday experiences; “it was hectic, a lot of people were running around, and it was hard to get places because I was pushed into people.” Many students has similar comments on the atmosphere, like junior Michael Anderson, who said that the crowds varied depending on the location. Senior Bess Murad blames the busyness on “what you want to get and what you are going to buy,” because certain stores could be more popular than others or certain sales may be better than others.

A main factor that influences crowding is the time. Some students said they like to go shopping after midnight during the late night, to help them avoid the craziness of Black Friday shopping. Senior Ishan Gajara said he’s going to Destiny USA at 1:30 a.m. because he doesn’t “want to go when lots of other people will be there, like right at 12:00 a.m. or during the morning.” Unlike Gajara, Keeler said she’ll be going at 7 a.m. because not many people like to go that early. Going at just the right window of time, and beating or missing the biggest crowds are what junior Michael Anderson said are “the most important parts” when going Black Friday shopping.

But, is the chaos and running around really worth it? Are the deals that are available in stores better than any other deals offered throughout the whole year? Sophomore Noah Mandelis says that the sales are worth all of the crowding, especially stores that sell technology. There are great deals on devices such as televisions and gaming systems. Anderson agrees with Mandelis and says that “there are great deals and you should take advantage of it even if there are crazy people and a crazy atmosphere.” Junior Carlena Torrens disagrees with Mandelis and Anderson and believes that the lines are long for no reason because “there’s not a lot of good sales.” Junior Ryan Evans thinks that the sales are worth going for but also thinks that “it’s a waste of time” and doesn’t care about shopping.

Since this popular day falls on the day after Thanksgiving, many people are busy with all of the preparation that comes with Christmas. J-DHS English teacher Terri Eaton said she spends her Black Friday “turning and decorating my house over from Thanksgiving to Christmas, because Christmas doesn’t start until the day after.” Instead, she participates in Cyber Monday, which is a similar to Black Friday, but for online retailors and is a good way to avoid the “mean and crazy shoppers,” said Mrs. Eaton.

This national “holiday” has its flaws, but also has perks as well; it is often one of the best days for shoppers,and one of the busiest days of the year for the stores. According to date released by Fundivo, since 2005, the amount of money spent on Black Friday has increased by $41.6 billion. In 2015, $67.6 billion was spent in total, 136 million people shopped, and an average person spent $406 over the four-day weekend. Many J-DHS students will be participating this year and will be facing the crazy and overwhelming people and crowding that come with it.